So This is What it Took
by RachysAddictionToWords
Summary: What happens when Felicity's high school friend invites Felicity to her wedding, where her family will be present? She says no, but Oliver has other ideas. What could happen? And will Diggle like the outcome? Slightly AU. Olicity Four-Shot. Please R&R. OFF HIATUS UNTIL COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended.**

**So This is What it Took...**

**Chapter 1**

Felicity was sat at her computers in the foundry while she could hear Diggle's grunts as Oliver pushed and shoved him while training. They didn't have a particular case to be working on at the moment but they all decided to use the break to practice their areas of expertise. Felicity had been feeling anxious all day but she had been acting her normal self, babbling through the majority of the day. She had avoided all text messages that would ruin her week but she knew she'd have to answer them eventually. She just hopes that Diggle and Oliver wouldn't notice anything and they would never find out.

Oliver and Diggle decided to go and get a drink from the Verdant bar before everyone started to pile in and it started to get busy. Once they had left the room, Felicity blew out a sigh of relief that they hadn't noticed (or if they had, hadn't said anything) about her unusually quiet mood. She thought that she was free from the text messages that held a horrible question that would end her pride. Until her phone started to ring loudly and 'Puppeteer' by Max Schneider started echoing off the walls of the basement.

"Felicity? God, you finally answered! I was beginning to think you had died or something when you didn't answer any of my texts all week. We haven't spoken in so long. Are you ok?" Felicity rolled her eyes when she heard the annoying voice of her former best friend through the phone.

"I'm fine. Work has just been bus-"

"Oh, great, good, you're ok. When are you getting here for my wedding? Your whole family has RSVP'd already. Did you get my invite? I had to ask so many people for your address. Barely anyone knew where you had gone after MIT. I knew you had gotten a job as an IT specialist at a big company, but I didn't know where. Anyway, when are you getting here? And is it ok if you and your date share a room?" the annoying voice said in one huge breath.

"I'm not coming, I'm sorry. I can't get off work," Felicity said, trying to fake any sorrow she could. Truth was, she didn't want to see her family. None of them. They had all judged her for going to MIT and she didn't want to see her so-called parents with their cheap dates (that were younger than her) to say how she should live her life. Her mother had been abusive for a few years during her childhood after her father had left and her father had been nothing but cruel with his words since he approached her during her later teen years.

Oliver opened the door to the foundry and Diggle followed behind him. He stopped when he heard Felicity's voice and started to creep down the steps so Felicity wouldn't know they had returned.

"But you have to come! You promised when we were little and you _never _break your promises. Please!"

Felicity was annoyed. She didn't want to have to see anyone from her past; she loved her new life with Oliver and Diggle and Thea loved her too. "I really can't come. I have important things to do and I don't have time to come and see people that find it necessary to tell me how I am ruining my life," Felicity said in her loud voice. Even Oliver and Diggle stopped when they heard her loud voice.

"Please! It's my wedding! And everyone wants to see you!"

"No. I'm sorry but no."

"Ok. If you change your mind, let me know. Bye, Felicity."

Felicity slammed the phone down from her ear. She put her elbows on the desk and her head in her hands and let out a sigh of relief. Oliver and Diggle started walking over to her but she couldn't hear them. Oliver placed his hand on her shoulder and she jumped a mile.

"God, Oliver! Don't scare me!"

"I'm sorry. Who were you talking to?" He sat down on the desk to her side and Diggle moved onto the chair that was next to the both of them.

Felicity had hoped he hadn't heard anything. Oliver had this way about him that you could say no to anything but he would persuade you to change your mind.

"My old friend from school, Freja. She's getting married and she wants me there. The problem is she has invited my whole family, I guess it makes sense as our families are friends. No one at home supported my decision to go to MIT and so I didn't really talk to anyone back home. Plus, with my parents that seem to forget that they are the worst people on the planet, they would just spend the four days yelling at me about how my life is ruined and how I will never get married. I don't have a date either and I really don't want to go alone."

"I'll go with you. That way, if anyone says anything, I can tell them how wrong they are. You are remarkable, it's a shame no one can see that besides Dig and I."

"No!" Felicity shouted once he had finished speaking. "I couldn't ask you to do that."

"You aren't asking, I'm volunteering."

Diggle sat back in his chair and watched the two of them. They had been doing this for a while now. Not just 'Team Arrow' but the tension between them was growing.

It had been almost 6 months since the whole Slade situation but Diggle could see that Oliver was still nervous whenever Felicity was alone. Diggle had know for a short while before the words slipped out of his mouth that Oliver had had growing feelings for Felicity, no matter how many women he went out with. When Diggle had heard what Oliver had said, he truly believed he had meant them. There was something in the way he said the three words that Diggle had never heard from him before. He knew Felicity was falling too but he knew that she wouldn't admit it either. She believed he had only said it to trick Slade. If only she knew he felt the same way.

"No, Oliver. I can't go and see them. She'll understand. I mean, we haven't spoken since I left for MIT so it can't mean that much if I don't go."

"Ok. It's your choice."

Both Diggle and Felicity were shocked. Neither of them had heard Oliver give up so easily from persuading someone. Usually he used his bow and arrow, but, of course, he couldn't do that to Felicity. But neither of them expected him to give up.

And that's when a case popped up.

* * *

><p>Felicity got home at 5am that night. Or morning, depending on how you look at it. She was exhausted. Everything had gone fine for 'Team Arrow' and Oliver hadn't been hurt. He had left a little before Felicity as she had a couple of updates to sort out but he was so fine, and so was Diggle.<p>

Felicity flicked on the lights to her apartment and walked into the living room. She screamed as she walked through the door and saw Oliver sat there in the dark looking towards the door; he was waiting for her to get home.

"For God's sake, Oliver! Stopped scaring me! What the _hell _are you doing sat here in the dark like a creep?"

"I needed to talk to you about going home for your friend's wedding. You are going and I'm going with you."

"No, I'm not. You need me here. You can't leave, you have CEO and 'Green Arrow' stuff."

"You are going. Everyone needs to see how amazing you are at what you do. And I'm going too, you have a date. Plus, I can tell everyone that says anything bad about you how you have helped QC so much."

Felicity stared at him as sat there staring at her as he spoke. She saw him blush lightly when he said that she was amazing at what she did. "Fine. But it's only for four days. No more."

"Great. Tell me when and I will pay for our flights."

"Is that all? Seriously? You waited for me to get home to tell me that I was going?"

"Yeah, that's all. Goodnight, Felicity. See you tonight."

And with that, he left. And Felicity started to think of ways to kill him. She was going home to see her friend get married and she was going to see her family. Damn him!

* * *

><p><strong>AN: This is my first Arrow fanfiction. I have been addicted to Arrow since I started watching it at the start of the summer and it's easily become my favourite show. I literally screamed when I received the DVD for season 2 Friday. I haven't seen it so I'm not completely sure on all the details with the whole Slade storyline and what went down but I hope you appreciate he effort. I had this idea and needed to get it out there. I know there are a few out there like this but I hope you like my spin on it. I love Olicity and think they match each other perfectly. I have an idea for another story that will be longer and a multi-fic but I am trying to focus on 'The Nearly-Weds' which is my Vampire Diaries story. I'd love it if you checked it out. **

**I'm planning to upload the next part to this four-shot when I reach 10 reviews. Let's see how long it takes! **

**Hope you enjoyed this first chapter!**

**Rachel xxx**


	2. Author's Note - Please Read

Hey guys,

I am so sorry I have not updated in a very long time and have not yet uploaded the next chapter of this fanfic. Life and school have gotten kinda crazy and things just got out of hand and I had to prioritise my family and GCSE's first. I sincerely apologise but I hope you understand.

I am in no way abandoning either of my two ongoing stories and will finish them, even if there are small breaks in between. I will have 'So This Is What It Took' finished by November 3rd as I have half term coming up, and will have a regular, constant upload by Christmas for 'The Nearly-Weds'.

Finding time to write and then edit is hard and I am very sorry. I hope you can understand. Please carry on being patient and I promise that everything will be finished, I just need time. I have got half term from the 27th-31st of October so I will try and spend as much time as possible sorting out fanfictions and sorting out coursework deadlines.

I know how frustrating it is when someone doesn't continue a story but I will never abandon either story but just need to sort out my school and personal life before I can focus on these.

Love Rachel xx

(Just a side note: Arrow season 3 starts 30th October here in the UK! I am aware of what is going on through many youtubers and am hoping to start a blog or YouTube channel where I will post videos/blog posts for reviews of the episodes and what I think. Check out _Olicity Queen_'s YouTube channel where she posts all of the Olicity clips. I just hope Olicity pulls through! Screw Barry, Ray and anyone else that tries to get in the way!

If you would like to vent your feelings, feel free to PM me and I will gladly feel your anguish lol.)


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended.**

**So This is What it Took...**

** Chapter 2**

Felicity had never been a big fan of flying. Ok, that was an understatement. She hated heights and the thought of being in a large, metal death-trap was not an appealing thought. But having Oliver sat next to her, even if he was snoring lightly, was keeping her fairly relaxed. She hadn't had time to think about her feelings for him after everything with Slade. She had just assumed that it was part of his plan. It was a slip of the tongue in an effort to save the love of his life, Laurel. It was the only logical reason she could think of as to why he would say that. She knew it was the furthest thing from the truth but it was the way he had looked at her that made every feeling she had been pushing down build back up. If only it were true, she would've said the words back.

She knew what Oliver had suggested by coming with her once she said she didn't want to show up without a date. She had no idea what was going to happen but she could tell that Oliver had a plan to make them believe they were together. She knew it would probably work; it had tricked Slade, how hard could it be to trick her family? For her, it was a chance to live what her mind had been thinking for months now and she knew that she could sell this pretty well.

Felicity pushed away her thoughts of that night at the mansion and thought about how she was going to survive the next few days. Her family were cruel, judgmental people, even towards her, and she knew that this weekend would really test how much she could rely on Oliver and how much she trusted to tell him about her abusive childhood. She knew that Oliver was protective of her but she didn't want to make him hate her family that he was cold this weekend towards them; that would just cause more issues. She knew her family would have something to say about how they had met and about them together, she just hoped she could make it a day without wanting to through herself out of a plane - again.

An hour and a half later, their plane had landed safely in North Valley and Oliver was carrying both of their suitcases and bags. Felicity had told him she could carry something but he just looked at her and said it was fine. At least he was getting some exercise in this weekend.

Freja had told them she had asked her chauffeur to send someone to collect them so that they could get to the mansion easily. Oliver had been shocked to find out that her best friend had a chauffeur and a mansion. It wasn't like he wasn't used to the life of luxury, but he never would've expected Felicity to be friends with someone like that back home. It was one thing that Oliver loved about Felicity – she kept him grounded in a life full of materialistic snobs.

As the car rolled up the driveway to Drayton Manor, Oliver saw it was considerably larger than the Queen Mansion back home. It was like a huge hotel rather than a mansion. It had brown brick walls and rows of windows over looking the front gardens. It wasn't what he had been expecting at all.

In the lead up to the trip, he had been picturing how the weekend would plan out. He didn't want Felicity to be alone and didn't want her family to judge her for being alone. That was the main reason he had suggested he go with her – or so he told himself. He knew deep down the real reason he wanted to go was because he had seen this as an opportunity to pretend (even if just for 4 days) that he and Felicity were the dream couple that he saw whenever he slept. He wanted to know how it felt to call Felicity his – even if it was fake.

When he had been sleeping on the plane, he kept thinking over in his head what had happened that night in the Queen mansion. He thought about that night every time he closed his eyes. He wished he could tell her how he felt but he knew he couldn't when she had always deserved more. She deserved the chance to go home to her home in the suburbs after work, kiss her husband, cook dinner and take them up to bed before spending an hour or two watching TV with the person she shared her life with.

Walking up to the door, there was a screech from a small, blonde female as the door flew open. "Oh my God! You are here!" Freja exclaimed.

"Yeah. I thought about it and I get that you want me here so much so I thought I owed it to you to come see you."

"Yay! And you brought some eye candy with you!"

"Yes, this is Oliver Queen, my..."

"Boyfriend," Oliver said from Felicity's side. Felicity gasped. She was expecting this but hearing him say it out loud made her gasp. She had always wanted to hear that but knowing how fake it was hurt her heart. But he said it with such conviction, like he truly meant that words he was using to trick everyone this weekend.

"You never told me you were seeing anyone, Flick. I am happy for you. Let's get inside, it's already four pm and dinner is being served at six. Your room is the one with the view of the gardens, the one of the left. See you at the rehearsal dinner, in the main dining room."

* * *

><p>The room was a gorgeous, soft green color with white accents and white furniture. It looked fresh and summery and exactly how Felicity remembered it. Her favorite pair of heels were still in the cupboard from the last time she had stayed before MIT. There was a large couch and TV and a vase with lilies on the table.<p>

What drew Oliver's eye in though was the small picture on the bedside table. A picture of Felicity, Freja and 4 other people he didn't know the name of. Felicity was a soft brunette in the picture; he already knew she died it but had never seen her natural before. He could tell it was here through her bright blue eyes and shining smile that seemed to make the room even lighter.

"I'm sorry that there is only one bed and we have to share a room. I will take the couch since it's my fault we are here," Felicity said as Oliver walked over to her after putting the bags on the bed.

"I can't do that. The bed is huge, it might even be bigger than mine. We can share; I don't mind if you don't – we both deserve a good night's sleep. We are going to need it."

Felicity walked over to the bags and opened them up. She started to unpack the bags but noticed Oliver staring over at the picture frame again.

"That's Isabel, Mia, Catherine and Mollie. We were all best friends. We have been since elementary school. We all had an argument about colleges before I left, I haven't seen them since. I expect them to be at the rehearsal dinner tonight though. I just hope we can have a civil conversation. I know that Catherine will make a comment about how good your looks are, and Mollie will judge us because she will assume the same as everyone at QC and Isabel is just funny and crazy and will probably hug and apologize and Mia will ask if I like the feel of your abs, even though I haven't touched them, and I really want to and I'm going to stop talking in 3, 2, 1..."

Oliver smiled at how happy Felicity looked while talking about her old friends. She had never mentioned any friends or family members before the call about the wedding. Oliver's smile dropped slightly when he thought about how little he knew about her and wondered if it was because she didn't trust him to know about her past. He knew that her childhood hadn't been great but had no idea why.

"It's ok, Felicity. I can handle whatever, you know I can. And if you want to touch them, all you have to do is ask."

Felicity blushed bright red. "Come on. It's nearly half four and I want to shower before the rehearsal dinner. I still feel yucky from the plane."

As Felicity grabbed her toiletries, towel and some gym clothes to change into after her shower so she didn't ruin her dress, Oliver realized that neither one of them had mentioned what he said to Freja or how the rest of their time here would plan out. Remembering to talk to Felicity before the dinner, he thought about how naturally those words had come out.

_Focus, Oliver. You are doing this for her. Don't ruin everything. Just pretend, indulge in what you really want, then go home and back to normal, _he said in his head.

As if!

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><p><strong>AN: So here is chapter 2! I am so sorry it took so long but as I said in my authors note, school and my personal life habe been two huge priorities. I wish my writing didn't have to suffer but I need to be able to focus on school and my family. My GCSE's are incredibly important to me so I had to focus on them. I have a week to do coursework and write so that is what I am hoping to do, and I'm hoping to have this finished by November third like I said in my authors note. And please check out The Nearly-Weds and give that a read. **

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Freja, Isabel, Mia, Catherine and Mollie are 5 of my best friends and we have always been friends, ever since primary school so I had to add them. I might make this 6 or 7 chapters just to fit everything in but I won't be too long. Thank you for the amazing response I have gotten so far, it's crazy! Please review and I really am sorry, but education is important, especially if you want to achieve your dreams. I know where I want to be, just need to study hard and get there!**

**Rachel xxx**


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